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Staying "Smart"
Guffrey
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've been out of college for almost two years now. While routine "busywork" bored the hell out of me, Im starting to realize I miss really working my mind. Oddly enough, I realized this while helping my wife with her science homework. Currently I lack the time or money to start taking college classes for this purpose, so Im looking for another way. I've downloaded some puzzle games for the iphone, but Im looking for more. Preferably a book along these lines:
-subject matter something science related. I'm really wanting medical, but other subjects (like astronomy) are welcome.
-I'd like it to be informative enough to really teach me something, but without the expense (and usual dryness) of textbooks. In fact, I'd be willing to compromise on the dryness, but I don't have a lot of money to sink into this.
But any other ideas are welcome
-subject matter something science related. I'm really wanting medical, but other subjects (like astronomy) are welcome.
-I'd like it to be informative enough to really teach me something, but without the expense (and usual dryness) of textbooks. In fact, I'd be willing to compromise on the dryness, but I don't have a lot of money to sink into this.
But any other ideas are welcome
Guffrey on
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Create a puzzle game.
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Guns Germs and Steel
The Demon Haunted World
A Brief History of Time
Start with these, they should keep you going for a good while. Anything else by any of the authors there are awesome too.
http://projecteuler.net/index.php?section=about
I felt the same thing recently... I started studying Python and I've done a couple of the basic problems on here, and it's stimulating the part of the brain I've missed since I got out of college.
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Avoid Guns Germs and Steel, the academic opinion is that it's a complete and utter load of bullshit.
Pick up an instrument, try painting, learn a new language.
There is I feel a substantial difference between the kind of intelligence you gain from absorbing knowledge through a book and actually learning practical skills firsthand.
Or if you know kids currently going to school, and their campus has some sort of online library, or online access to peer reviewed articles and scientific journals, those usually let you save the material in txt or pdf, or even forward it to an email address.
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Also
Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
Relativity: The Special and the General Theory
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Salt: A World History
and you also might consider volunteering your time with the Boy/Girl Scouts or at a local science museum, they're always looking for people interested in helping out
Medically, it depends on how well versed you are in the human anatomy/physiology and molecular biology. The New England Journal of Medicine is a good place with good medical/clinical reads.
If you're looking for a good read, I'd recommend books by Atal Gawanda; Better and A surgeons Note on an Imperfect Science. It's not really science informative, but healthcare related.
I mean, honestly, I don't think you're going to find reads that aren't textbooks that are medically related. I can say Toxicology/Pharmacology books are great reads because they discuss some of the fundamentals of the human body while showing how it's pertinent to the environment we're in. And by environment I mean toxins/drugs/etc. It's heavy on information but it's always interesting/informative and the information isn't necessarily boring and drab.
I'll also add
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
The Selfish Gene
Books by Oliver Sacks, such as Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.
There are also some good podcasts out there, like The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe, or This Week in Science. Also, check some blogs out there. There are some decent blogs that also include reading lists, or book of the month type deals (where they recommend a book, not necessarily giving a deal on a book).
try Bad Astronomer, NeuroLogica, Skepchicks, Respectful Insolence, and the Rogues Gallery
First of all, I'll be looking over all the books everyone has linked. Some I already have, but I should be getting some late Christmas money soon, so I'll be open to getting some more. Specifically I saw the comment on the medical books. I've done some more searching myself, and you're right, its pretty much all expensive textbooks. But I'll have to check out the journals, and another poster's advice about google books.
As for a practical skill/building something/volunteering. I've picked up the guitar again, but its all a matter of having time to practice. A book is nice for a lunch break at work, when bringing in a guitar is not as easy. In addition to guitar my best friend and I formed a "band" (aka make stupid songs, which is also a great reason to practice guitar), so I'd say thats my project right now.
And finally I hadnt even thought of looking at blogs, I will check all those out as well. Thanks for all the advice, and please make sure to mention anything else you've got!
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do you have any more info about this? I liked that book.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Toward this end I would encourage you find a book club that shares your interests, or start going to toastmasters, or find some public policy outfit to volunteer with, etc.
My dad gave me a subscription to the Nation last year (this is how liberal my family is), and he talked me into going to their monthly discussion group. Mostly it's old liberals complaining about things, but being able to bounce ideas around in that kind of environment is a lot more important than just reading interesting things.
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
It's also drier than the Atacoma.
I'd say learn a new language.
or a musical instrument
Language, Math, music, etc.
For $30 and an amazon account your possibilities are limitless.
Also, make sure you DO IT EVERYDAY. Schedule a time, even if it's only 30 minutes a day. I like to do it before work (and before the day wears me down).
Also exercise, cardio. "The owner's manual to the brain" is a good book, read it.
From what I can gather, a handful of academics accuse the book of having racist overtones, and of not focusing enough on issues of social justice.
They're not challenging the veracity of his evidence or conclusions. It's still a widely taught and respected book.
is my favourite science book
yeah, that's what I had seen before. And the eurocentric charge is sort of silly, since the entire point of the book is to explain why western culture became dominant over so many others
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Learning a new language is an excellent way to keep the neurons working. Learning how to play an instrument is a way to break the language barrier AND keep your neurons moving. Failing either of these, I understand that calculus is incredibly stimulating if you can wrap your mind around it.
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Yes, I can assure you that the academic opinion is not that it's a "complete and utter load of bullshit".
Does it have its flaws? Of course. Not everything is 100% correct, but that is to be expected with such an ambitious book.
And I really really really hate to be that guy, but I've taken a handful of upper level anthropology classes here at Columbia, and it is a well respected book.
So yes, OP, read it.
The problem I had with those, is I could never find the syslib and the isbns of the books they used. It's been awhile, but hopefully they include that info now? Also I recall one course had a TON of hand outs (philo class), but were missing from the course ware (I think it was the yale one though). That's the problem with these courses. If they fix those, it'd be a lot better.
A Short History of Nearly Everything is a great book, in my opinion. It starts with the big bang and moves onward to the present, covering all manner of scientific discovery -- and somehow it manages to be very informative without causing boredom.
The Naked Scientist is an interesting science podcast that is updated weekly.
Pharyngula is very interesting, although it is also very atheistic, if that turns you off. Scienceblogs has a lot of other interesting science-related blogs, though.
As mentioned, learning a programming language is very intellectually satisfying. Frustrating at times, but satisfying when it "clicks". Or how about a spoken language? A musical instrument? Chess?
PSN: Broichan
Glad to see my initial reaction to the first response here is shared.
GG&S is a good read for the ideas and theories it puts forward, but as mentioned, it is a very boring, dry read; Diamond is smart, but he certaintly doesn't write for enjoyable, engaging reading.
Also a lot of the criticism is that he's overly deterministic, but, IMHO, that's kind of his point behind it.